The Day Things Got Hairy at Disney World

My friend, Mel, at AccordingToMags is getting back at me for making her publish a post with the word penis in it. Now …. before you get all excited … hers is a very innocent story. When she initially told me about it, she had no intention of putting it in her blog …. until I pushed. And pushed. And then had a snack and went to check the mail. And then pushed a little more. Anyway, her post is a hysterical little account of taking her young kids to see a movie. Click here to read it.

And, in my quest to push her out of her comfort zone, I may have inadvertently mentioned that I had a similar story involving my son from 2005. He was only five, kindergarten-bound and very observant. These three qualities ensured that all of the thoughts that crossed his mind also crossed his lips. And I was usually more than happy to answer any and all of his many, many, many questions.

(Oh, God. This story is so embarrassing. Mel, I’m dying here.)

So anyway, my family was on its first trip to Disney World. It was the four of us (son, 5 and daughter, 2) as well as my parents. My kids had a blast and wanted to ride everything they could but their age differential enabled my boy to take on a lot more of the rides than his sister. And he was still too young to know to fear the scary rides.

Enter that stupid Mission: Space ride at EPCOT.

Now, first of all, I know what you’re thinking. “Mission: Space??? Michele, are you nuts? He was only five. I can’t believe you brought him on that terrifying shock to the nervous system.” To which I can only say, yes. Well, sort of yes. Disclaimer – the tragic story involving that ride happened just six weeks after we were there. Truly, no one realized how intense this ride really was at this point. But I digress …

So, because my daughter was clearly too young for this ride, Dave opted to sit it out with her. And my parents hung back with them. My boy was all excited about the space ride so what’s a mom to do?

Right? Of course, right.

It was one of the newer rides at the park so it comes with the tedious experience of waiting in a Disney line that weaved through a maze of snotty ropes, germy handrails and darkened corridors intended to get us all in a space-y mood by the time we reached the core. After nearly an hour had passed, we got to the end of the line and waited in a small holding room with maybe 25-ish people to get into our respective “pods.” (Can’t you just feel the nerd?) And we waited and waited. And waited. Something was clearly wrong. There was a loud beep and everyone got quiet in anticipation of a voice coming over the PA to tell us what to do.

We’re all familiar with the expression “you could have heard a pin drop,” right? Well, that’s exactly how it was when my sweet little son, back then always armed with a million questions, turned to me in the deafening silence and said “Mommy” … and then he paused … ’cause clearly there was gonna be more.

I turned to my boy and said “What?” … expecting any number of predictable, mundane statements from my five-year-old.

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“What’s taking so long?”

“I’m huuuuuungry.”

“My tummy hurts.”

“This shirt feels itchy.”

“That guy sure has a fat belly.”

Any of those (and many, many others, by the way) would have been fine. But that wasn’t the direction he was going. Cut back to me. “What?” I said innocently.

Nothing could have prepared me for this next moment as a parent.

“Why do you have so much hair on your vagina?”

*** PAUSE FOR LAUGHTER ***

Okay. You know that special effect that they have in cartoons where the character’s eyes bulge out and you hear the old-fashioned Model T car horn blaring? Well, that was me. Me and EVERYONE ELSE in the room.

Then, at the exact moment that my body was debating its fight or flight options, a voice mercifully came over the loudspeaker to announce that the ride was experiencing some kind of technical difficulty. Or something like that. Honestly, I have no idea what it said. My vagina had just been the topic of a small focus group! I was too busy picking up the shattered pieces of my dignity from the floor and trying to keep every ounce of blood from rushing to my face.

Then, somehow, I made it worse.

I can’t explain why I felt the need to defend myself to these strangers. Fearing that everyone in the room would think me some sort of deformed, wooly mammoth (and not understand, as any human should, that ANY hair there is foreign to a child), I found myself blurting out … “It’s not that much really” … to the room and then hauling ass, my boy in tow, for the exit. I don’t think I stopped until I reached the space under my bed in the hotel room.

And, for the record, I have never told this story outside of very tight circles. Why? Because even to this day, I fear judgment. I’m a hygienic … and manicured … person. I swear!!! But a five-year-old boy, with different parts than this mama, is going to ask questions. I guess I should be counting my blessings that it wasn’t in church.

(Dear God, did I just really talk about “myself” on the internet? I think I need to go throw up.)

75 responses to “The Day Things Got Hairy at Disney World”

Brave you are ODNT, fearlessly brave. But in all reality, kids at that age don’t understand (most of them any way) that there are some questions better asked in private (at least not until they do it at least once). Take a deep breath, and realize that whatever people are putting together at this point, is purely their own imagination instigated with words. That means it’s just like any other fiction story… right??? ;-)

Second, the bright side is he didn’t address anyone else’s anatomy or “fat belly” in line. Then you would have had to apologize before leaving…or worse…be in the 4 man capsule with them.

I can relate to this situation way too well. Funny how those damn baby books tell us how to deal with cradle cap to circumcision care, but where’s the chapter titled ‘When I Want To Dig a Hole and Die”? No where to be found! How convenient! ;). Great writing!

My lovely son, as I have shared, is Spectrum and has been received Speech Therapy since he was 18 months old (5 1/2 now). We were exiting the grocery store and I dont remember if it was raining, or if it was cold, or what, but my 4 year old child at the time who was sitting in the front of the shopping cart, proceeds to start YELLING “MOMMY, I NEED HEAD” as I began to walk out of the store and into the parking lot. “HEAD, HEAD, MOMMY I NEED HEAD”.

Stupid me, I repeat, among the throngs of on lookers who are watching me and my seemingly “typical/normal (I hate using that word but its the only thing I can think of right now)” child “You need head?”.

Then realizing at that very minute what my child was asking, what I repeated, and what “the other meaning” is, little darling began fumbling with his HOOD and was trying to pull it up. I said loudly while returning to the car “Ohhhhhh YOU NEED YOUR HOOD!!!!”

Not as good as a hairy va-jay jay question, but being behind, I am sure that type of embarrassment will be coming up sometime in 1st grade…

I actually stopped and braced myself for the question, and nope was not prepared.
Considering that your blog name deals with another area, I’m sure most people weren’t wondering.
Of course, we are now.

OMG! Hilarious! I know you didn’t think this then, or even now, but this is quite precious. Admit it, or else you wouldn’t have willingly just told the entire interweb! Did you ever ask him what on earth in that place or in his mind made him think of that particular question at that particular time? Then again, maybe don’t ask. I see lots of opps to revisit this story when he’s older; he’ll never live this one down. =)

Oh my GOOD LORD I would have DIED.
I literally guffawed when I read what your son asked. I don’t think I’ve ever guffawed in my life.
I think the only thing that would have made it worse is if your dad was with you.

It’s been over eight hours since i read this and I’m still trying to figure out what to say. Wow. At leaste this time you can embarrass him once he’s older, by letting him know you posted this on your blog. Teenagers are mortified by this kind of talk by their parents.

What happened to my gravatar pic? Anyway, my nephew did something similar to my sister-in-law, only instead of using the proper terms, he stated in a grocery store line “Mom, you have fur on your whacker-box.”

Great story! They all find ways to embarrass us. My oldest used to think kissing was sex. One day while we were waiting in line at the grocery store, he announced (loudly), “I saw you and dad having sex on the sofa last night!” Everyone stopped and stared at me. I couldn’t explain to the people around me that he was confused about what sex is, or I’d have to explain to him what sex really is. I just had to hurry up and pay for my groceries and get out of there.

Two years ago, my youngest, Carly aka Goose, was 5. She NEVER knocks. I slept in and decided to take her to school. I made her breakfast, sat her down with a show, and took my shower. I forgot to lock the door. she walks in on my as I’m pulling underwear over me.

later that day i told my wife what happened, in case child services got involved, and my wife goes, “yeah, she told me about it earlier. she was worried if you were sick because she saw you had a “big bump”……..yeah. horrible.

I needed a good laugh today, and boy, did I get one. Great story. Laughed so hard I cried. And even some of the other commenters stories were hilarious too. Now I’m terrified of what one of my young sons might say at an inopportune moment.

This eclipses my story of when Katie laughed me out of the car for saying that the vagina is a miracle.
(It was the end of a very uncomfortable answer to where baby’s come from when she was FOUR.) And no, she did not stop when I gave her the vague answer that is appropriate for four year olds. She proceeded to ask and ask and ask until I was forced to explain how something so big could… well, you get the picture. So, she and John, FOUR AND SIX years old, laughed me out of the the car. As in, “Mom said a vagina is a miracle!! Bwaahaaaaahaaaaa!”
In my defense, Those weren’t my EXACT words, but that was what she gleaned from it. Thank God I wasn’t in line at Disney.

Oh, and for the record, my favorite euphamism for the aforementioned body part has (up until now) been “hootly-hoo”, a term used loosely in the house of a family friend. But I’m afraid from now on I will only be able to think of it as a “whacker-box”. That is HI-LARIOUS.

Great story! I love how the question was asked in the dark, inner sanctum of a malfunctioning ride… in an eerie parallel to the subject of questioning! Like, is that why your son thought of this particular visual, in that particular environment? Well done!

Ba!Ha!Ha! My 3 year old reprimanded me for “tooting” in line at the grocery store the other day- I swear it was the cart, but the cashier sure as hell thought it was funny. I can only imagine your embarassment!

Okay I thought it was funny and was giggling along. THEN I got to your self-defense and lost it And I had a vivid picture in my head of you booking until “… I got to the space under my hotel room.” BWAHAHA! Ellen

Funniest thing ever! Thanks for sharing ~ I can just see you in that Pod-thingy, it getting all hot and uncomfortable and then the question. Love it! Following you from the Blog Hop at You Know it Happens at Your House Too!

I just came here via the Sensible Moms Link-up Par-tay and now I see why you submitted this post as one of your favorites…you are oh so brave and oh so hilarious to post that one…I’m headed to Disney World in February with the family and now I’m going to steer clear of any rides that have long waits in pods!

bwahahahaha! That is hilarious! And why…what…why…? Why then? Where did that come from? Just, oh my.
I thought I had a good awkward moment, but I think you have me beat. I probably would’ve just laughed, though, and honestly, I would’ve wished I’d captured it on video. Then again, I’m not very normal.